I Preferred it When You Were Dead (Not Really)
by Sammy Heroes
Summary: She glared at the ghost and walked through him. "I preferred it when you were dead." Duckworth turned and gave her a small smile. Bentina suddenly dropped her bag and ran to hug him. She cried on his shoulder. He felt cold, too cold to be him. But he was there. He hugged her back. "You never told me anything." She sobbed. (headcanon fic, rated T, oneshot)


They started to work for one Scrooge McDuck at around the same time. Then, Scrooge wasn't the richest duck in the world. At least, not yet. He had just bought a mansion at one particular hill in Duckburg.

Duckworth was a young butler in search of a job and possibly, get a peek at the world of the elite.

Bentina Beakley was a young SHUSH agent (don't tell anyone) that needed some extra work to clear her mind of certain events.

When faced by Mr. McDuck for the job interview, the Scottish was surprised at both of them for their ability to remain calm under his temper. So he hired them both. Duckworth as his butler and Bentina as his housekeeper/ body guard due to her background. No one was really counting on a petty rivalry between them.

"Miss Beakley," Back then, she wasn't Mrs. "Do you usually keep the house this shabby when I leave to the grocery store?" Duckworth would ask with a smirk.

Bentina would glare and reply something as pitiful as the question.

Sometimes, their discussions would get rough enough that Scrooge would have to step in.

"Cut off this nonsense before Ah fire ye both! Clear?!" Most of the time, the accusation was enough to stop them.

Mr. McDuck took them with him on many adventures, all while trying to keep Scrooge's increasing number of enemies at bay. Like Glomgold or Ma Beagle.

OOO

Ma' Beagle was young too back then. And Duckworth desperately wanted to get as far away from her as possible. Bentina smriked at him once when he hid inside the limo. "Afraid of a thief, Duckworth?"

"You'll be afraid too if said thief found you atractive, Bentina." He glared. "Especially if said thief wants to force you into marrige."

To be honest, Bentina thought to herself, Duckworth was quite attractive. He had slick, dark hair as contrast to her lighter color and handsome features. As a woman, she wouldn't blame Ma' Beagle. But as his rival...

"Oh, I'll definetly use this as blackmail." She laughed.

"Says the super spy." Duckworth replied with a smirk.

Bentina ceased her laughter and glared at him. Sometimes, she forgot Duckworth had the dirt on everyone around them. Sometimes, she truly wished him dead.

Other times, they got along well. She'll cook, he'll clean, all while gossiping about someone they mutually hated, or when she genuinely laughed at his dark humor.

"That Briggita McBridge tried to woo Mr. McDuck again. I swear, that woman is a thorn on my side."

Duckworth agreed. "Indeed. Sometimes I wonder if she has a bird nest with her."

"Why do you say that?"

"Her hair style. A dreadful thing." They laughed.

Another time, they pretended to be a married couple to fool Glomgold and rescue Scrooge, whom Glomgold had managed to kidnap.

"Was that a... _kiss_... what Ah saw back there?"

"...No?" They answered, but their master simply laughed.

"Nonsense. Ah saw what Ah saw and what Ah saw was that ye' two were clearly enjoing that." He winked.

They avoided each other for a whole month and Scrooge wouldn't live it down. Especially because it happened during February. Scrooge would throw obvious hints and set up dates to embarass them even further, like a good friend would.

Such example of hints were...

"Ah was given two tickets to that awfully romantic movie everyone seem to talk about, but Ah'm not interested. You two want them?"

"Ah'll be at the money bin! So Ah'll leave you two the house... alone. So behave!"

"Ye' know, Duckworth, a little birdie told me that Ma' Beagle is hunting you down again. Ye want want me to pull up some strings and get you a marrige certificate? For... ye" know, protection?"

On one occasion, he managed to make Duckworth blush a heavy red... it was a conversation the butler didn't like to recall and would take it to the grave.

There had been an accident once, one they never told Scrooge about and never will, when Bentina accidently surprised Duckworth in the shower on her way to do some rutinary clean up. In her defense, it wasn't her fault he was incredibly silent during shower time.

It wasn't long before they settled back into their rutine of pitiful bickering.

"Bentina, I must say, you look lovely today."

She arched a brow. "Really? Why than-"

"For a Halloween party alright." The remark earned him a slap on the cheek. Later on, when Scrooge asked him why his cheek had turned a reddish color, Duckworth simply replied, "A word of advice, sir. Never criticize a lady's appearance. But Bentina is no lady, so there's that." He smirked. _So worth it..._ He thought as he rubbed his cheek.

On one occasion, Beakley had decided to get back at him. Throughout the day, she eyed him seductively, like she would for one of her missions if it was necessary. She did it long enough to make him feel uncomfortable when she finally said, "I've seen better, I don't know what Ma' Beagle sees in you."

He was speechless.

OOO

Years passed, Mrs. Beakley had her daughter she had raised outside the manor and between SHUSH missions. She had decided to finally retire from the life of a secret agent and dedicated herself to her work for Mr. McDuck. Her daughter had, apperantly, decided to follow her footsteps and joined the spy agency. If she was worried about her, Beakley never showed it. She was as tough as one could be and Duckworth loved that about her.

Duckworth always remembered one day when Bentina had been away for a few months on a mission... and returned with a pregnacy.

"Dont ask me about it."

He never asked her. He respected her privacy and as much as he liked to make fun of her, he never made any jokes about her pregnacy. Instead, he made sure she had the least amount of work around the house and more time to sit and rest her swollen feet. Sometimes, he'll hear hear faint crying in the nighth. He had some theories, judging by her line of work, and why it happened. But he kept those thoughts to himself and made sure she was fine.

But a small part of him had always wondered if that baby could have been _theirs_.

While Bentina raised her daughter away, but still worked at the manor, two little troublemakers had arrived, causing him to grow early gray hairs and loose precious sleep hours, be it from a frog dropped on his bed or being caught in the middle of a water and mud balloon fight in the kitchen.

Their names were Della and Donald Duck. And he adored them.

"You're losing some hair." Bentina commented a few months after her daughter left.

It was true he was losing some hair, but such is life.

"Yours is going gray." He looked away. "It fits you more."

She smiled. "Did you know that Della is having an egg?"

"Really? Well, at least it's one child-"

"Sorry, I meant _three_ eggs."

Duckworth sighed and rubbed his head. "Do you think I'll still look good if i grow completly bald?"

"Duckworth, if you weren't the looker, Ma' Beagle wouldn't still be dropping obvious hints of atraction." She smirked.

He groaned.

But years of friendship hadn't stopped their bickering.

"Cleary, Beakley, a bow and arrow are far more superior than a simple sword. It provides the user the element of surprise in most cases." said Duckworth while the cleaned and put away weapondry from around the manor so the babies could roam free.

"Yes, but sword wielding is an art itself. It requires discipline, strength and durability in combat that can only be achieved by hard work."

"Yes, of course. It's the perfect weapon for a buffoon."

"Sir!" Bentina called in the hallway. "Duckworth is saying blasphemy about my weapon of choice again!"

Mr. McDuck yelled from the hallway. "Duckworth, if ye' wanted to ask Mrs. Beakley out on a date, ye' should have done so years ago!"

Neither of them spoke even after Scrooge tried to regain his breath after laughing for two minutes straight.

OOO

One day, he gifted Bentina flowers for her birthday along with a necklace of the same flower. He hadn't expected a spine crushing hug from her.

Next day, they had bickered nonstop, but Bentina always wore the necklace from then on.

"The nephews have hatched." Bentina told him one day.

He stopped assembling the fine silverware. "Really? I thought they weren't supposed to be here until two weeks. Who told you?"

"Mr. McDuck ran out of the house like a happy, mad man. I don't need to be told anything else."

"Shall we baby proof the house then?"

"Yes, if they are Della's children, I don't think we should risk it."

Two weeks later, Della disappeared.

OOO

One morning, a few months after Della's disappearance and the family shutting away Scrooge, Bentina had gone to pick up the phone. She silently prayed it was Donald. Not only did she wanted to hear from him and the boys, but also, she wanted them all to be a family again. The call she got wasn't what she wished for.

Duckworth was cleaning one of the portraits when Mrs. Beakley ran up to him, crying. "Bentina-" She hugged him, looking for the comfort of an old friend.

Her daughter and her son in law had been killed in action.

Bentina's daughter hadn't spoke to her own mother ever since she left. She had never been that close to her despite the circumstances, despite Mrs. Beakley's efforts. Her daughter's death wasn't the only thing that affected her. She had a newborn granddaughter she knew nothing about and now needed her.

So Duckworth silently hugged her, assuring her that everything would be fine.

McDuck had insisted that Bentina raised her baby granddaughter in the manor. Be it from the hole the absense of his baby nephews had left in him or the pity he felt for Mrs. Beakley and the baby, Duckworth knew it had to be one of those reasons that had pushed his master to insist.

At least, little Webby had brought a bit of joy to the lonely manor.

OOO

Duckworth loved poetry. He dedicated time of the day to instruct himself in the art. It was one such occasion that his chest started to hurt. The pain had been enough for him to take a day off and go to the doctor.

Webby had just turned three and she was quite intelligent for her age. She told her grandma that something was wrong with Duckworth. For some weeks, even, after his mysterious doctor's appointment. Bentina smiled at her and took the child to bed. After, she checked on him.

She found him sitting on one of the many balconies, deep in thought, staring at the night sky. "Duckworth?" She called to him. He didn't look at her. "Are you alright?"

She stood next to him and imitated his position, resting her arms agaisnt the concrete and looked up.

"Quite beautiful tonight." He said.

"Yes, it is quite a lovely night."

"Not the night. You."

She looked up at him inspected his face, half expecting for him to say some kind of joke. There came none. "Thank you."

She still looked at him. He wasn't looking at her, but the sky. He'd always been a bit taller than her, while she had been the stronger, bulkier one.

"But why the compliment?"

"Can't a man tell his life time friend how lovely she looks?" He eyed her with a hint of... something. Mischief? Melancholy?

She chuckled. "Only if it doesn't follow a stupid joke of some sorts."

"Not to tonight, no."

They stood in silence, enjoying each other's company. "We've gone a long way, Bentina."

She smiled. "Yes, we have."

After a few moments, she sighed. "We should head to bed. We have work to do tomorrow."

"Yes, of course." He took one long look at her before leaning in and giving her soft kiss on the lips. "Goodnight, Bentina." He said with a soft smile and walked.

Bentina stood there, too stunned to say anything, but not to mad to threaten him.

If only she knew that was the last time she'd see him alive, she would have told him many, many things...

She hadn't realized it had been a goodbye.

OOO

She arrived back at the manor with bag on her shoulder and a content smile. Webby seemed satisfied with her training at the secret island. Now, to put her things and get back to -

"Hey, Duckworth!" Webby said. Nothing suprised her nowadays.

Bentina looked up and stared in shock.

Duckworth stared back with a smile. "Mrs. Beakley. How nice of you to finally join us after abandoning your post." He gave her smug smirk. "Thankfully, I was here to pick up your slack. Tell me, do you usually keep the house this shabby?"

She glared at the ghost and walked through him. "I preferred it when you were dead."

Duckworth turned and gave her a small smile. Bentina suddenly dropped her bag and ran to hug him. She cried on his shoulder. He felt cold, too cold to be him. But he was there. He hugged her back.

"You never told me anything." She sobbed.

"Well, the heart attack was sudden and-"

"That's not the only thing, you buffoon!" She smiled as she pulled away.

Duckworth smiled at her. "You look lovely as always."

"And you look... transparent."

They laughed.

Upstairs, Scrooge McDuck smiled down at his faithful servants and friends. "Best to let them be..." _They have a lot to talk about_ He thought.

 **I hope you all liked it. When I saw Duckworth in his new form, I cried and felt that I saw small part of my childhood die. But I think I get it, this opens a lot of posibilities.**

 **And please tell me I'm not the only one that felt some feelings with these two. This fanfic is basically my headcanon for these two dorks, though excuse me if some parts might seem like they've could be written better. It's been almost a year since i wrote a fanfic.**

 **Review!**


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